Rural living comes with some choices

Folks choose to live in rural areas for a host of terrific reasons — less bustle; more fresh air; beautiful views; peace and quiet; a love of nature and agriculture.

Folks choose to live in rural areas for a host of terrific reasons — less bustle; more fresh air; beautiful views; peace and quiet; a love of nature and agriculture.

Readers could probably add dozens of reasons to that list.

As with most good things, there is usually a cost to a long list of benefits — less convenience; fewer amenities and longer travel times, to name a few.

But folks who have decided that small town or rural living is what they want are willing to endure those costs to enjoy the benefits.

It’s an excellent lifestyle and one that is chosen by many residents of our county. They choose to accept inconvenience in some areas of life.

Where things get a bit complicated, however, is when it comes to government services.

This comes to mind with the announcement last week that the U.S. Postal Service proposes reducing hours at some small town facilities to save money. On the list: Comfort, Cove City, Deep Run and Dover.

The question is: Should all taxpayers support a full-service post office in small towns or rural areas?

(Actually, the real question is: Why is the government in the mail business in the first place? In this age of advanced communication and transportation, the private sector could easily handle the job of delivering mail, just like it already does with packages and next day deliveries).

We would argue that having a post office in a small town is now a convenience that cannot be justified.

To wit, the USPS recently reported a quarterly loss of $5.2 billion. The Postal Service is losing $57 million per day.

At some points (and we’re way past that point), it’s not longer a matter of what is convenient but of what can be afforded. There is no way around the fact that post office branches in urban center serve more people.

The good news: if there is a need for some of the services the post office provides (PO boxes, etc.), the private sector can move in and fill that void. Then, rural residents will have a choice — drive further for postal services, or use a private provider.

As with everything, there is a price to pay for those choices. There is also a price to pay for poor management and changing market conditions — right now, the USPS is paying the price for failing to change with the times.